Meet the Komodo dragon's big Brother

greg) The size they stated is alot bigger than the 4.5 metres stated online. Rex has always maintained that Megalania grew to larger sizes than 4 metres and in fact has written of 25-50 foot specimens.

Meet the Komodo dragon's big Brother

A giant dragon capable of killing a rhinoceros is related to the world's largest living lizard, scientists have discovered.

The 23ft Megalania prisca, or ancient giant ripper, lived in Australia nearly 20,000 years ago. It was the largest lizard to have stalked the Earth, weighing more than two tons and it has now been revealed as an ancestor of the Komodo dragon which roams the planet today.

Scientists believe that the massive lizard was a scavenger and ambush predator. By analysing fossilised bones, experts at London's Natural History Museum found that Megalania was very similar to the Komodo dragon which inhabits the smaller islands of Indonesia.

"It was a kind of souped-up Komodo dragon," said Paul Barrett, who led the museum team.

"It was double the length of a Komodo dragon.You certainly wouldn't want to run into one."

Komodo dragons can grow up to 10ft in length. They are capable of killing animals more than twice their size, and have been known to kill water buffalo.